Drying-kiln.



F. J. RUSH.

DRYING KILN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE7. 19.12.

1,167,844. Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

WITNESSES INVENTOR I COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D4 C.

F. J. RUSH.

I DRYING KILN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7. 1912.

Patented J an; 11, 1916.

I ATTORN BY,

. 4 suzms-snm 2.

INVENTOR! n -UMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,WASH|NGTON, D. c.

F. 1. RUSH.

DRYING KILN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7. I912.

Patented J an. 11, 1916.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNESSES Q I 42 f F. J. RUSH.

DRYING KILN.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

nwrra. Ml...mikmifihnwh V 77/ km N tJNiTnn sTlaTns PATENT oTTToE.

FELIX J. RUSH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DRYING-KEN. I

Application filed June 7, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. I, FELIX J. RUSH, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drying-Kilns, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to drying kilnsand, particularly, to apparatus by means of which the air in the kilns may be supplied and exhausted, and caused to pulsate in the separate compartments.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to provide means by which lumber, for example, may be uniformly dried and quickly seasoned; to providemeans by which air of uniform temperature may be supplied to the drying rooms and the air in the latter may be kept in circulation; to provide means'by which the air supplied to the drying rooms may be heated and the air in the rooms may be exhausted automatically; and to provide means by which fresh air may be mixed with the air supplied to the drying rooms, and the air in said rooms caused to pulsate or throb and become considerably agitated.

With the above objects in view, and others which will be detailed during the course of this description, my invention consists in the parts features, elements and mechanisms, and combinations of elements and mechanisms hereinafter described and claimed.

To enable my invention to be readily understood, I have provided drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevation of a section of my kiln showing the doors thereof closed; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing one of the outlets; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing one of the inlets.

Referring to the drawings, the numerall indicates the rear wall, Fig. 2, of my kiln,

it being understood that the structure may be built of any suitable material and of any proper size, and that the building will be divided into compartments or rooms 1ndicated by 2, the rooms being produced by the division walls 3, which support the ceiling 4, or floor of another story of the building. The entrance to the rooms 1s closed Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 11, 1216.

Serial No. 702,204. I

by the doors 5, hinged in any suitable man stance, extending from a point above the floor 11, of each room, through said floor, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, i and 5. The inlet of each room communicates with an inlet-duct 12, extending. transversely of the rooms and longitudinally of the building entirely along the rear end of the rooms and below the floor thereof, this construction providing for. theinlet of air through the various chambers 9, into the respective rooms. Each outlet-chamber communicates with an outlet-duct 13, which latter extends parallel with the inlet-duct at the front end of the rooms and below the floor of the latter. An inlet-pipe 14, extending along the roof of the building, or the ceiling of the rooms, communicates with the fan-drum 16, in which is set a rotary fan of any suitable type and driven in any desired manner, the fan-drum having leading there from the conduit 17, which communicates with the chamber- 18, containing steam-coils, supplied with live or exhaust steam, as may be desired, through the medium of the steam-pipes 19. The air from the conduit 17, after passing through the chamber 18, and being heated by said coils, passes through the conduit 20, to the inlet-duct 12. From this construction it will be seen that air entering the rooms through the inletduct and inlet-chamber will be exhausted side of the building to the fan-drum, the

fan driving the air through the conduit 17, heating-chamber 18, conduit 20, and into the inlet-duct 12, thus providing for complete circulation of the air. As the cold air naturally falls, it will find its way through the outlet-chambers 10, into the outlet-ducts 13, where it will seek the outside of the building. The inlet-duct 12, at its end adjacent the conduit 20, for convenience indicated by 21, will be open to the outside air, by extending to the outside; of the building. Thus, by exhausting cold air from the bottom of the rooms and forcing hot air into the rooms, a natural draft at 21 will be created, the air in the several drying rooms will. be kept constantly in agitation and will spread throughout the entire room, so as to completely envelop the lumber stored therein for drying purposes.

In order, however, to provide for agitation and pulsation of the air in the various drying rooms, I have provided the inletchambers with valves 22, hinged at 23, and when in closed position being at rest upon the front wall 24-, of the partitions 3. The valves 22 are each provided with a bracket 25, carrying an anti-friction roll 26, with which engages a rotary cam 27, of such form and dimensions as to gradually open the valve 22, to admit the inlet of air to the chamber 9, from the duct 12, and to gradually close said valve. Each of the cams 27 is fixed upon a shaft 28, extending horizontally through a wall 3, and journaled in bearings 29, at opposite ends of said wall, and at intermediate points in the bearings 30, set in recesses 31, at the sides of the inletchamber 9 and outlet-chamber 10. The shaft 28 also carries the cam 32, fixed thereto in any suitable manner and so proportioned as to operate the valve 33, of the outletchamber 10, in a manner similar to that described with reference to valves 22, said valve 33 being pivoted at 34, and carrying the bracket 35, provided with the anti-friction roll 36, which cooperates withthe periphery of the cam 32. The valve 33, when closed, will normally rest upon the wall 37 of the partition 3. lhe cooperative relation of the cams 27 and 32 is shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and 5; and it will be understood that the arrangement of the cams upon the shaft 28 is such as to cause them to open and close the inlet and outlet valves 22 and 33, in alternation. That is to say, the inlet-valve 22 will be opened as the outlet-valve is closed, or nearly so, and vice versa, thus preventing the air entering a room and seeking a direct outlet through an outletchamber, and also producing a pulsatory action of the air in the rooms. By thus manipulating the valves in a given room, air of the proper temperature may be admitted to or driven into said room, and after re: maining therein momentarily may be allowed to exhaust through the outletchamber 10. By this means, the air is caused to be constantly agitated, shifted and changed :in each drying room.

If it is desired to admit fresh air to the inlet-pipe 14 (in the event the said pipe is terminated in the building), an inlet-pipe 38 may be provided to communicate with said pipe 14, as at 39, just in front of the completely blower or fan. A damper of suitable type, indicated at 40, may be provided to regulate the amount offresh air admitted to the inlet-pipe 14. Thus, a regulated amount of fresh air can be mixed with the air admitted through 14, and driven to the heatlngchamber 18. This will prevent excessive heating of the air in the drying rooms; and to additionally provide against excessive heating of the air in the drying rooms, the inlet-duct 12 is in communication with the air outside the building, so that cooler air can be drawn into the inlet-duct 12, mixed with the heated air driven from the chamber 18 and, thus mixed, be driven throughthe inlet-chambers 9, into the drying rooms. The shafts 28 are driven by belts 41, which encircle the pulleys 42, carried by the front ends of the shaft, said pulleys being housed within the angle-irons 6, so as to guard against interference or endangering workmen about the place. The belts 41 also encircle the driving-pulleys 43, carried by the driving-shaft 44, extending along the front wall of the building above the doors 5, said shaft being journaled at stated points in bearings such as 45, fixed to the upper ends of the angle-irons 6. The shaft may be driven by any suitable motor or engine.

Each room has extending longitudinally thereof rails or tracks 46, upon which the trucks or cars carrying the lumber to be dried may be run. The shafts 28 are lubricated or oiled by means of conduits or pipes 47, extending through the walls 3, of the rooms, and communicating at the various positions of the bearings '29 and 30, with the chambers in which said bearings are set, by means of drip-cups, not shown, the supply of oil being provided from any feed system desired. 'This oiling system has not been herein illustrated particularly, since it forms no part of my present invention.

In view of the foregoing description, both the structure and mode of operation will be readily understood and require no further explanation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A drying kiln consisting-of a room in which the material to be dried may be stacked, and having an air inlet and an air outlet chamber arranged near its floor at opposite ends thereof, respectively, each/of said chambers beingprovided with a valve for opening and closing the same, means for opening and closing said valves alternately whereby to admit air to and exhaust air from said room, and said room having at one end a door through which to admit the material to be dried. i

2. A drying kiln consisting of a room having an inlet and an outlet chamber arranged at opposite ends thereof, respectively, an'inlet-duct communicating with said inlet chamber and extending along the bottom of V the room, an outlet-duct communicating with the outlet-chamber and extending along the bottom of the room, and means for intermittently opening and closing the two chambers whereby to admit air into and exhaust air from the room.

8. A drying kiln consisting of a room closed on all sides and having in the walls thereof, an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, valves for controlling the inlet of air to and the outlet of air from said room through said chambers, and means for alternately opening and closing said valves so as to create in the room a pulsatory action of the air.

4. A drying kiln consisting of a room having an inlet in its bottom at one end and an outlet in its bottom at the other end; valves, one in the inlet and one in the outlet; a blower for drawing air and driving it through the inlet in the bottom of the room; an inlet for air communicating with the blower on one side thereof; and a conduit extending beneath the room and communieating with the blower on the other side thereof and with the inlet; and means for actuating the valves.

5. A drying kiln consisting of a room having an inlet in its bottom at one end and an outlet in its bottom; valves, one in the inlet and one in the outlet; a blower for drawing air and driving it through the inlet in the bottom of the room; an inlet for air communicating with the blower on one side thereof; and a conduit communicating with the blower on the other side thereof and with the inlet, said conduit being provided with a heating-chamber; and means for actuating the valves.

6. A drying kiln consisting of a room having an inlet and an outlet chamber arranged, respectively, at opposite ends thereof near its bottom, each of said chambers being provided with a valve for opening and closing the same, a conduit extending beneath the room and communicating with the inlet chamber, a conduit extending beneath the room and communicating with the outletchamber, and means for opening one valve and simultaneously closing the other in alternation, whereby air may be admitted to the room, caused to pulsate therein, and be subsequently exhausted therefrom.

7. A drying kiln consisting of a room in which material to be dried may be stacked, and having an inlet-chamber and an outletchamber, a duct connecting with the inletchamber, a duct connecting with the outletchamber, a blower for driving air into the room through the inlet-duct and inlet-chamber, means for controlling the ducts whereby the air pressure in the room is alternately raised and lowered, and said room having at one end a door through which to admit the material to be dried.

8. A drying kiln consisting of a room having an inlet-chamber near its bottom, an inlet-duct communicating with said chamber, a valve located in said chamber, means for actuating said valve, a heating-chamber, means connecting the heating-chamber with the inlet-duct, and a blower for driving air through the heating chamber, the inlet-duct and into the room.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FELIX J. RUSH.

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. DoLGn, S. SIMMONS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

